The Sheriff's Secret Wife

by Christyne Butler

  From the moment they'd walked out of the lawyer's office last August and into the Las Vegas sunshine, she had taken great pleasure in either pretending he didn't exist or antagonizing the hell out of him. At first, he'd avoided the bar, letting his deputies cover both the peaceful and the more frequent not-so-peaceful watches.

  Then during the baseball play-offs a free-for-all had broken out at The Blue Creek. He'd arrived in time to get in the middle of flying fists. After getting knocked on his ass, he'd looked up to find Racy consoling Dwayne McGraw, his former high school teammate. Married with six kids, Dwayne outweighed him by a hundred pounds. He was also too drunk and pissed off about his team losing to listen to anyone telling him to calm down.

  Anyone but Racy.

  And that'd annoyed Gage more than it should have.

  "Hello?" Gina snapped her fingers. "You still with me or have I shocked you into silence?"

  "I'm here." He blinked away the memory. "Look, I can fix this."

  "There's nothing to fix!"

  "I can talk to the principal at the high school." He started making notes on his desk calendar. "See if they have any openings. Or I could check with the University of Wyoming—"

  Gina slapped her hand on top of his, forcing the pen from his fingers. "I want to meet people my own age, not teach them. Stop trying to solve a problem that isn't there and stop telling me what to do. Geez, I'm twenty-two, not twelve."

  He looked at his sister. "I'm not telling you what to do."

  "You could've fooled me."

  A deep sigh gutted from his chest. He couldn't help it. Whenever he looked at Gina he saw long braids and chunky braces. "Promise me you'll be careful and not do anything crazy."

  "Like dancing on the bar?" The look in his sister's eyes matched one he'd seen many times before, both in the mirror and in the faces of their siblings. Determination.

  "Gina—"

  "I've got to go." She cut him off. "I'm meeting my boss for a makeover session that will create a whole new Gina."

  That's what he was afraid of. "I like the old Gina."

  "You're family, you have to say that." She headed for the door. "Trust me, not every man agrees with you. See you."

  She was gone before he could respond.

  Gage frowned. Something was wrong. He'd tried to stay connected to Gina during her years away, especially after the loss of their father. Asking her about it wouldn't do any good. Unlike the twins, she closely guarded her feelings and her high IQ further isolated her.

  He was certain about one thing, though. Working in a bar wasn't the answer. Maybe he'd better have a talk with Max. Racy managed the staff, but the owner was an old friend of his dad's. He figured he could get Max to override Racy's hiring decision.

  Confidence filled him as he went back to sorting his mail. The return address for the State Bar Association of Nevada on a business-size envelope caught his eye. A tightening in his gut told him it wasn't good news. The only dealing he'd had with Nevada lately was the annulment paperwork folded neatly in his top dresser-drawer. He opened the letter and started to read, not quite believing the words. Seconds later, he crushed the letter in his fist.

  * * *

  Racy was proud of herself. Gina had been in her company for over two hours and she still hadn't asked how her big brother had reacted to the news. She concentrated instead on getting to know Gage's sister and bringing out the beautiful girl hiding behind the baggy clothes and nondescript hairstyle.

  Gina now sported contacts after she revealed she had them, but usually stuck with her glasses. He hair fell in a dark, smooth, glossy curtain and artfully applied makeup, a bit on the heavy side but perfect for the bar, played up those gorgeous Steele blue eyes.

  When they'd arrived at The Blue Creek a few minutes ago, she'd given Gina a couple of T-shirts with the bar's logo to try on. The door to the ladies' restroom opened and Gina walked into the break room used by the rest of the staff.

  "Hey, you look great."

  "You don't think it's—" Gina tugged at the tee's cropped hem that rested above the low waistband of her new body-hugging jeans "—a bit too tight?"

  "It's supposed to be tight, honey, and you have the body for it." Racy waved her over to the floor-length mirror. "See?"

  The relief in the young girl's eyes when she saw her reflection pulled at Racy's heart. Not much surprised her anymore, but she'd been floored when the librarian look-alike had asked last night about a job. And she hadn't hired Gina purely for the satisfaction of getting to her older brother. No, she truly needed help, with two of her girls quitting a week ago.

  Ruffling the sheriff's feathers was only an added bonus.

  "We'll use the next few hours getting you used to the menu and the ordering system," she said. "You can practice carrying a trayful of drinks, too."

  Gina nodded and they headed for the bar. A raucous country song blared over the sound system. A group of girls, lined up on the middle of the dance floor, broke out into precision dance steps. Horror crossed the girl's features. "I'm not going to be doing that, am I?"

  Imagining the look on Gage's face when he found his sister dancing on the bar was priceless, but Racy wouldn't do that to Gina. Besides, Gage hadn't been back to The Blue Creek since the baseball play-offs melee.

  Coward.

  "No, those are the Blue Creek Belles. They didn't perform last night, but they dance as well as serve up food and drinks." Racy reached beneath the bar to lower the volume on the sound system. "I'm giving you the six tables in that area."

  The relief on Gina's face switched to panic again. "Six? Are you sure?"

  Racy grabbed menus and a large tray. "I'll be here if you need help, and the other girls will pitch in if things get busy."

  "I really appreciate this." Gina leaned forward and propped her forearms on the bar. "I was going stir-crazy at home."

  "It must be nice being back with your family."

  Oh, real smooth. Try to get her to talk about her brother without coming right out and asking.

  Gina leaned against the bar. "It is good to be home after being gone most of my life to private schools and then college. With Gage finally out of the house, I grabbed the converted attic, complete with its own bath."

  Racy's hands stilled over the beer bottles in the under-counter cooler. "His place on the lake is done?"

  Gina nodded, tucking a long strand of hair behind one ear. She opened the menu, studying the items intently. "Can you believe it? He's been working on that log house forever."

  Four years, but who's counting? "Well, I'm sure he's happy to finally be in his own bachelor pad."

  She had no idea how big of a place Gage had built, but she'd bet her entire Vegas winnings it came complete with an oversize hot tub, pool table and a king-size bed for all six-feet-plus of him.

  The memory of another king-size bed, her body pressed deep into the cool sheets with Gage's hot, hard body draped over—Stop!

  Racy groaned and yanked the bottles from the cooler. Doing nothing since Vegas but studying and working should've erased the memories of that crazy night, but no, they remained bright and strong and ever-present in her head.

  "Hey, boss lady."

  Racy looked up.

  Ric Murphy, one of her security team members, stood behind Gina. "Max needs to see you in his office."

  "Okay." She turned to Gina. "I'll be back in a minute."

  "I'll be here."

  Racy grinned and headed for the stairs that led to the second floor and her boss's office. Hopefully her office in a few months. A former musician, Max's band once had a couple of hits on country radio. He'd owned The Blue Creek since the early eighties and had joked about retiring ever since Racy had started working here. And after eight years of waitressing, then bartending and finally managing The Blue Creek, she was ready for the next step.

  A step that had been only a dream until she had returned from Vegas with fifty grand in poker winnings.

  And another ex-husband.
<
br />   Her footsteps faltered on the top step. No, not a husband. Ex or otherwise. Her and Gage's twelve-hour marriage was a mistake, a lapse in judgment that she'd fixed and tried—erotic memories notwithstanding—to forget.

  She stopped at the office door and knocked, waiting for Max's response. At the sound of his gruff bark, she entered and froze.

  Dressed in jeans, cowboy boots and the same leather bomber jacket he'd worn for years, Gage Steele stood at the large window behind her boss's desk. He turned, leaned against the frame and stared straight at her. At least she thought so. The ivory Stetson he always wore was pulled low, shielding his eyes.

  The Marlboro Man. In the flesh. Minus the cigarette, of course. Mr. Perfect wouldn't dare to do anything that might be considered a weakness.

  "You wanted to see me?" Her tone was sharp, but Racy was glad she got the words past the sudden tightness of her throat.

  What the hell was Gage doing here? Was it Gina?

  That's stupid. Of course, he's here about his sister.

  "Ah, there's a pair of scissors at the barbershop waiting on me." Max rose from behind his desk. He tugged a coat over his Western dress shirt. "I'll give you two some privacy."

  "I thought you wanted to talk," Racy demanded.

  Gage stayed silent as he moved out of the older man's way.

  "Be nice." Max's words were low, his lips barely moving beneath his bushy gray mustache as he walked toward Racy. He grabbed the door to pull it closed behind him. "And don't make a mess of my office."

  "Max—" He disappeared before Racy could say another word. She stared at the door for a long moment before the sound of a throat clearing had her whirling around.

  "What do you want?"

  Gage pushed away from the window. A deep breath expanded his shoulders. His open jacket revealed a dark red chambray shirt over a black thermal pullover. The undone buttons on both shirts showed off the strong column of his neck. Even in the dead of winter the man's skin carried a glow of deep bronze. A glow she remembered he had over every inch of his—

  Racy mentally slammed the door shut on the memory. "Well?"

  He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and crossed the office to where she stood. "We need to talk."

  His low voice caused a shiver to dance along her skin. She crossed her arms over her chest.

  Dammit, the aged gray sweat jacket again.

  Gage's sweat jacket. Normally, she never left her place with it on, but Gina had shown up while she was studying and she'd forgotten to take it off. She doubted he even remembered how she had come to own it, but she wasn't going to take that chance. Thankful for the tank top she wore underneath, a quick zip and the jacket was off her shoulders. She used the sleeves to tie it around her waist.

  His eyes followed her every move. "Why'd you do that?"

  Yeah, like she was going to tell him she was crazy enough to hold on to this thing all these years. "It's hot in here."

  An unreadable emotion filled his blue eyes. He blinked and it was gone. But his gaze stayed on her as he moved forward until the toes of his boots grazed hers.

  She didn't budge.

  For the first time since that weekend in Vegas, she and Gage were alone. Something they'd managed to avoid all these months. Oh, they'd seen each other. It couldn't be helped in a town the size of Destiny, but they hadn't spoken.

  Until now.

  "What are you doing in my bar, Gage?"

  The brim of his Stetson grazed her hair. "I thought this place belonged to Max."

  Not for long. "On paper. I'm the one who keeps it running."

  "Always to the point, aren't you?"

  "What I am is busy." She broke free from his hypnotic gaze and again crossed her arms. A few side steps had her resting her backside against Max's desk. "So, why did you scare my boss out of his office?"

  Gage turned, his clenched fists visibly pressing against the creased leather. "We need to talk about a couple of things—"

  "And one of them is your sister." Racy cut him off with a wave of her hand. "You went to Max about her working here, and what? Called in an old family favor? But he told you to deal with me. So, go ahead. Give it your best shot."

  "My best shot?"

  "In convincing me to fire her, but I'll give you my answer right now. No way."

  His mouth pressed into a hard line, then he said, "This is the last place Gina should be working."

  She cocked her head to one side. "Because?"

  "The girl has a master's degree in twentieth-century British and Irish studies."

  "And that's going to hinder her in carrying a trayful of burgers and beer?"

  "Dammit, Racy! She's not equipped to deal with the horny cowboys and college kids that come in here."

  "Unlike me, you mean."

  "You certainly have a way of keeping them in line."

  From anyone else, she might've taken that as a compliment. Coming from Gage, it sounded more like an insult. "If you're referring to that brawl in October, I was handling everything just fine until you walked in."

  "Including Dwayne. After I stopped his fist with my face."

  She fought against a grin and lost. "You should've ducked." Her tone turned serious again. "Look, I wasn't going to let Dwayne use a lopsided loss by his team as an excuse to start a fight. Besides, his right hook didn't shake you up too bad."

  "It hurt like hell."

  Let it go. You don't want to go there. "Well, I'm sure the ample attention one of my Belles heaped on you led to a speedy recovery." Too late, dammit!

  "Tammy brought me a raw steak for my eye."

  "With a healthy side order of cleavage and fawning."

  His gaze dropped from her face to her chest. Racy knew the flimsy cotton tank top was no match against the purple satin push-up bra filled with her own generous assets. She tightened her arms beneath her breasts and took a deep breath.

  A single tic danced over his jaw. Served him right.

  His gaze moved higher and lingered on her neck. She had to fight to keep her hand from going to her throat. The love bite he'd left above her collarbone was long gone. It had taken almost three weeks for the mark to disappear, but the memory of how she'd gotten it, and who'd given it to her, remained powerfully strong.

  Especially when the man was standing right in front of her.

  His eyes locked with hers again. "I think your Belles lead by your example."

  "Your deputies must do the same. Tammy's got a busier social life than Britney Spears and Paris Hilton put together."

  "Present company excluded. I'm not interested in Tammy."

  He backed up a few steps and yanked off his hat. A quick push of his fingers through his dark hair left spiky tufts standing on end. They disappeared when he returned the Stetson to its proper place. "My point is Gina could be teaching at any college in the country."

  "She's twenty-two years old." Racy broke in, glad he was backing off about the bar fight. And from her. She was still reeling from his statement about not being interested in her waitress. Why, she didn't want to consider. "Your sister wants to have some fun, meet people and wear sexy jeans."

  "That's not Gina."

  "Maybe you don't know her as well as you think." Racy pushed away from the desk and took a wide circle around him. Not wide enough. Her bare arm brushed against his jacket as she headed for the door. The movement caused goose bumps to skate down to her fingers.

  He followed. "We're not finished here."

  "Yes, we are. I'm not firing Gina."

  "This isn't about Gina. It's about us."

  Racy's hand tightened on the doorknob as she wrenched it open. "Nice try in changing tactics, but there is no 'us.'"

  "I'm talking about Vegas."

  One booted foot hesitated at the threshold. A rocking country song that warned of T-R-O-U-B-L-E rang in the rafters. "We agreed to never bring that up again." She tossed the words over her shoulder.

  Gage's arm shot out.

  His palm landed
against the doorjamb blocking her exit. "If you keep walking, I'm going to follow." He leaned in, his mouth at her ear in order to be heard over the loud music. "Do you want everyone to find out we're still married?"

  Racy's vision blurred at his hotly whispered words. "What?"

  Gage pulled her back into the office and kicked the door closed. He turned her to face him, the warmth of his touch on her bare shoulders searing her skin. He placed one hand beneath her chin and gently forced her to look him in the eye.